Processed cheese products are difficult to cut or slice because the cheese tends to cling to the cutting surfaces. For this reason, it is preferable to form the hot melted product into thin sheets by an extrusion or casting process. When the thin sheets have been cooled, they are slit into narrow strips or ribbons. The strips are then stacked and cut to length for packaging as a "sliced" product.
The cheese casting machine in which the discharge manifold of the present invention is employed comprises two double-decked cooling belts with drive and idler drums spaced on 25 foot centers. Pans installed at the undersides of the belts are used to flood the insides of the belts with a cooling medium such as a refrigerated glycol solution.
The discharge manifold of the invention is mounted on the infeed end of the machine in a position of approximately 45 degrees around the radius of the upper drum at the idler end. At this point, the stainless steel belt is in its most stable position, and gives the best opportunity for thickness or weight control of the product as it is formed and discharged from the manifold.
The hot melted cheese is discharged upon the cooled surface of the upper belt in the form of a thin sheet evenly distributed across the width of the stainless steel belt. The underside of the sheet of cheese is cooled by the belt as the belt moves toward the driven drum at the far end of the upper belt. The partially cooled sheet then moves to the upper surface of the lower belt, the sheet now resting on its previously uncooled side. The second side of the sheet is cooled as it moves toward the driven drum at the far end of the lower belt.
In a subsequent operation, slitters are provided to cut the sheet into narrow ribbons. The ribbons are removed from the driven end of the lower belt and transferred through turning rollers to form a stack of ribbons traveling at right angles to the cooling belts. A transfer conveyor is used to carry the ribbons while they are being stacked, and to transfer them to a cut-off machine which delivers the individual stacks of product.
A number of functional characteristics are essential for the discharge manifold. It must have a capability for receiving the hot melted cheese product under pressure and distributing it uniformly along the full length of the manifold. This must be accomplished rapidly and on a continuous basis to accommodate the high rate at which the product is discharged upon the cooling belt. The manifold must also provide for a uniform and continuous discharge of the cheese to the cooling surface with appropriate adjustment means provided as needed to accommodate the difference in product density and viscosity. Means must be provided for uniformly controlling sheet width and thickness. Finally, the manifold must be easily assembled and disassembled for cleaning purposes.